Chapter 44: Darcy proposes to Elizabeth

Elizabeth waited until her parents went to bed for the evening before she talked with Jane. "Will wants to talk to me tomorrow. I told him I will come to see him at Netherfield with you," she told her as she sat at the end of her sister's bed.

Jane smile brightened, "Lizzy does that mean that everything is worked out between the two of you?"

Elizabeth shook her head. She didn't like how things were left between them. "I'm not sure, we started to talk, but then Mum sent Kitty out to get me," she said sounding rather annoyed.

"Well, what did he say?" Jane asked her impatiently.

"He said that he was sorry for not coming sooner, then he told me he loved me," she repeated his words.

"What did you say to him?" Jane asked her.

"I was so stunned to hear him say the actual words that I didn't say anything for a few moments. Then I couldn't believe I heard him correctly, so I asked him if he really did love me," Elizabeth told her.

"Oh, Lizzy what did he say when you asked him?" Jane asked barely able to contain her emotions.

"He said he loved me very much but..." Elizabeth repeated his words.

Jane's eyes opened wider, "But what?" she asked her impatiently.

"That was it, that was all he said, before anything more could be said between us Mum sent Kitty out again, and we both came inside," Elizabeth told her trying not to be irritated with her mother or sister.

"I'm sorry Lizzy. I know Mum was such a nag tonight, but she doesn't know about your feelings for Darcy, and once she heard that he followed you out she probably thought she was doing you a favor by calling you back in so soon," Jane told her.

Elizabeth laughed, "I know that, and I don't blame her, she really has no clue in any of this." she said, then added, "Neither does Dad."

"Oh Lizzy, I do hope things will work out for you just as you want them to," Jane told her. "I watched him closely all evening, and he does love you. I know he does. I could see it in the way he looks at you."

Elizabeth smiled as she looked over at her sister, "How did he look at me Jane?" she asked not sure she saw what her sister did.

Jane wrapped her arm around her. "Like you were the only woman in the world."

Elizabeth sighed, that was exactly what she thought too. "Oh, Jane I do love him very much. I just wish I didn't have to wait until morning to go and talk with him," she admitted. "I will probably get very little sleep tonight."

Jane smiled, "We could always sneak out of the house and drive over tonight," Jane offered.

Elizabeth arched her brow, "Don't tempt me, Jane, I have actually thought about doing just that since he left tonight," she told her.

Jane laughed, "Well if your plan is to wait until morning then we better get some sleep because I did promise Charles I would be over early to join him for breakfast. Caroline is coming in tomorrow, and I want to be there before she arrives."

Elizabeth understood, "Did Charles say how his sisters have reacted to the news of your engagement?"

"He has not said very much, and I have not pressed the issue. I know Caroline has some of the blame for our breakup, but it would be unfair of me not to forgive her," she told her sister.

Elizabeth stood up and walked over to the door, "Yes you should forgive her Jane, but keep your eye on her too," she cautioned her then she said goodnight and went back to her own room. As she climbed into bed, she decided she would not let doubt interfere with this warm, happy feeling. He said he loved her and she saw that love in his eyes when he looked at her. She pushed all doubts and focused on that. There would be time to talk tomorrow, and she wanted to be up early.

Darcy paced back and forth in his room waiting anxiously for Elizabeth to arrive. Charles invited them both over to have breakfast with them, but it was now almost 8:00 and still no sign of them. He was just about to go down and ask Charles what time he told them to come over when he saw a car coming up the drive. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was Jane and Elizabeth. Now all he would have to do is get through breakfast and then he could ask her to take a walk with him. Of course, he would have to come up with some excuse so that Caroline would not ask to come along. Perhaps Elizabeth will have brought her camera with her he thought, then they could use business photos as an excuse. He took in another long deep breath and decided not to worry he was going to make time to speak with Elizabeth today no matter what.

He waited nervously in the dining room as they came in. Of course, Charles greeted Jane with a kiss, and he found himself envying his friend. He hoped soon he would be able to do the same with Elizabeth. He thought about how perfect that day would be when he could hold her in his arms and kiss her soft, beautiful lips. He hoped she would want that too. He smiled at her and watched as she walked over and sat down next to Jane. "Good morning."

"Good morning Will," Elizabeth said returning his smile.

Caroline didn't miss the fact that Elizabeth was still calling Darcy by that ridiculous nickname. She was determined to be gracious to her brother's fiancée, "Jane I cannot tell you how thrilled both Louisa and I were when Charles gave us the news of your engagement," Caroline told her trying to sound sincere.

Jane smiled, "Thank you, Caroline."

Elizabeth felt bad for Jane, she knew that she hoped to get there before Caroline arrived, "Caroline you must have arrived very early this morning?" she commented.

"I came in late last night," she told her. "I just really wanted to be here first thing this morning to wish Jane my joy and welcome her to our family."

Elizabeth could see that Caroline was doing her best to be nice. She almost wondered if Charles threatened to cut off her allowance if she didn't treat Jane the way he expected her to, with kindness and respect. She could almost picture in her mind how that conversation would have gone. The thought of it brought a smile of pure satisfaction to her lips.

Jane seemed relaxed, of course having Charles dote on her as he did every time they were together, went a long way to reassure all those around them how much he loved and adored her. Elizabeth didn't look over toward Will; she was almost afraid to. She kept imagining all sorts of silly things so finally she swallowed, pushed down her nerves and looked over in his directions. Her breath caught in her chest the moment their eyes met. He looked at her with such love in his eyes. She smiled and watched as relief washed over his face. "I brought my camera along so that we might get the rest of those pictures you asked about Will," she told him.

"Perfect," he said, then added, "If it's all right with you, we can go out as soon as we finish breakfast."

Caroline looked at Darcy and then Elizabeth, "A morning walk does sound very nice, perhaps I can tag along if that's all right?" she suggested. Seeing how the two behaved at Pemberley and the way Darcy was looking at Elizabeth all morning made her more determined not to leave the two of them alone.

Elizabeth was just about to respond when Jane chimed in, "Oh but Caroline I was so hoping you, and I could spend the morning going over some of my plans for the wedding. I was just telling Charles how much I was looking forward to having you and Louisa be a part of the wedding party. Of course, Lizzy will be my maid of honor, but you, Louisa, and my other sisters must be my bride's maids," she told her.

Caroline looked over at Charles than to Jane. "Of course Jane," she said as she struggled to keep her frustration under control.

Jane smiled, "Lizzy you and Darcy go on ahead and don't feel as if you need to rush," she told them. "Charles and I have so much to share with Caroline that we could be busy until lunch."

Elizabeth smiled, "Works out perfectly then," she told her as she looked back over in Darcy's direction.

For the rest of the meal, Caroline monopolized the conversation, and he found it difficult to get a word in. Finally, when she stopped to take a bit of food he glanced over at Elizabeth, "I'm ready if you are?" he said not really wanting to wait any longer.

Elizabeth hardly ate anything herself; she was too eager to break away and speak with him. "Let me just grab my camera," she said as she walked over to her bag and picked it up. Darcy took the bag from her and then followed her out toward the door. They walked along in silence until they were out of sight from the house then Darcy stopped and set her bag down on the ground next to him. He took Elizabeth hand in his, "I think we should be able to speak without being interrupted here."

Elizabeth wasted no time. "Will, last night you said you loved me," she repeated his words. "You said, "I do love you so very much, and I want us to be together but..."

He could see she was hurt and confused by how he left things. "I'm sorry for leaving things like that last night," he told her. "I do love you, Lizzy. I have loved you for such a long time now."

"But..." she said it this time then continued, "When you learned of my sister's marriage to George Wickham that changed how you felt about me. I know you went to see Lydia in London, she told me how you tried to dissuade her from marrying him."

Darcy shook his head and pulled her into his arms, "Oh Lizzy that's not it at all, nothing in this world could change how deeply I love you," he told her softly. "When I first found out that Wickham had fathered Lydia's baby and that he planned to marry her I was stunned. I went to London at once to see if I could persuade your sister not to marry him. I assured her that I would help with the cost of raising of her unborn child, but she would not change her mind. Sadly, everything I said to her was in vain; she's completely deceived by him."

It was Elizabeth's turn to be in shock, "You offered to help care for Lydia's baby?"

Darcy nodded his head, "Yes, I thought that if I told her of the unscrupulous character of Wickham that perhaps it would spare her any further heartache. I thought if I offered her another option she would see that I was sincere in what I was telling her and she would abandon the idea of marrying him." he explained then added, "But she wouldn't listen."

Elizabeth let out a small sigh, "I'm not surprised. Lydia has always been a very stupid girl, and she's easily swayed by her emotions," she said. "For you to offer to help her was very kind and generous."

Darcy pulled her closer, "I was thinking of you when I made the offer, and of us."

"Of us," she whispered as she suddenly realized who it was that offered Wickham the job in the states. "It was you that got Wickham that job, wasn't it?"

"Yes. I thought that it would be best since I couldn't dissuade your sister from marrying Wickham that they are settled someplace where they couldn't cause so much trouble," he told her. "I didn't want Wickham and Lydia to be a burden to your parents. With a child on the way, I thought it best that he has a stable income that will allow him to care for his family. My only hope is he will do just that."

"Does Wickham have any notion at all that you are now his employer?" she asked him.

Darcy shook his head, "Not directly, he knows that the offer comes from an old school friend of ours. I invested a considerable sum and became a partner in the new computer software company my friend has started. I arranged for my friend and Richard to approach Wickham and offer him this position. Richard made it clear that he heard of Lydia's situation and because of his care and friendship where you are concerned he was willing to give him a job, a car, and a home if he lived up to caring for your sister and their unborn child. He made it clear that he would be watched to ensure his behavior toward your sister is as it should be. He told him that he would have to move to the states, that he knew of a new company owned by an old friend that might be interested in giving him a job if he agreed to the terms given to him," he told her. "I knew if I made the job offer just a bit better than your father could give that Wickham's greed would win out in the end and Richard reminded George of his many gambling debts here as well. I think he saw the wisdom in accepting the offer," he told her. "This way I can keep track of him and make sure that Lydia and her child will be taken care of."

"I don't even know how to begin to thank you for your kindness toward my family," she whispered softly.

Darcy looked deeply into her eyes, "I told you, all that I did was for you."

Elizabeth breath caught in her chest. "Still, I know how very difficult this must have been for you."

Darcy had to be honest with her. He had to tell her all that he had been struggling with, so she would understand. "I won't lie to you, Lizzy, after I saw Wickham and he taunted me with his plan to marry your sister just so he could continue to involve himself in my life, I was furious. I wanted to strangle him right then and there."

"Will, I am so sorry you had to go through that," she said as tears formed in her eyes.

Darcy felt his heart aching. "Lizzy, I don't want to lose you. I didn't come to see you sooner because I felt a certain responsibility to Georgiana. How could I put her through the pain that being exposed to Wickham would bring her?" he said. "I know how much you love your family. I know that it would not be fair to ask you to be parted from them because of my past with Wickham."

Elizabeth leaned near to him; she caressed his cheek with her hand. "Will, I love you, and I would never ask you to do anything to hurt Georgiana," she assured him. "She's very dear to me as well."

"I love you so much," Darcy began. "I would do anything to be with you, anything. If it were just me, none of this would matter. I would embrace George Wickham and call him my brother if it means that I can have you in my life," he told her then added, "But I cannot ignore my responsibility to my sister. I can't ask her to endure the humiliation of having that man at Pemberley, and I cannot ask you to give up your family..." he told her then added. "It seems that Wickham has won at last, for I am at a loss about what to do," he told her his voice filled with frustration and sadness.

Elizabeth gently placed her fingers to his lips and smiled. "Oh Will, I would not expose Georgiana to Wickham," she said to him. "As for my family, I have already told Wickham that I don't look upon him as such and I will never call him brother," she assured him. "I didn't attend their wedding, and I let my father and sister know what a terrible mistake I felt she was making in marrying George Wickham.

Darcy searched her eyes, the soft touch of her fingers against his lips made his heart beat faster. "But Lizzy you're so close with your family. I don't want you to resent me someday," he shared with her his concern.

Elizabeth shook her head, "Will, I could never resent you." she told him then added, "Besides I don't need to spend time with Wickham to have time with my sister Lydia."

Darcy couldn't believe what she was saying, all these past weeks of worrying that she would be heartbroken at being parted from her family, "Lizzy, I'm confused? At Rosings you vehemently defended your family when you read that file, but now you don't seem to mind at all being separated from them?" he asked her. He wanted to understand and clear up this confusion between them once and for all.

Elizabeth took in a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. "I defended Jane," she told him. "When I read that file, I was angry because you were attacking her. There were things that you wrote in that file about Jane, that I knew weren't true," she told him. "I can't defend the rest of my family because everything you said in that file concerning them is true. Lydia's current situation behavior proves it," she admitted sadly. She lowered her gaze so he wouldn't see the fresh tears.

Darcy lifted her chin; he looked into her beautiful brown eyes. "I love you," he told her. He knew how hard it was for her to telling him these things.

Elizabeth whispered back, "I love you too," then she asked. "What about your Aunt Catherine? She came to see me and made it very clear she will not be happy about the two of us seeing each other. She will never support you and me dating."

Darcy pulled her closer still, "My aunt does not get to dictate my life to me even if she thinks she does," he told her. "Besides it was her interference in coming to see you that made me think I might have a real chance to win your heart."

Elizabeth was puzzled, "How so?"

"After seeing you, she came to see me," he explained. "At first I was so angry that she would behave so rudely towards you, but then when she told me that you would not give her your word to never be involved with me I was hopeful that maybe we could find a way to overcome everything and be together."

Elizabeth smiled, "Oh Will if only she knew that it was her interference that was the catalyst in bringing us together."

Will laughed, "Perhaps we shouldn't mention that to her," he told her. Elizabeth leaned in closer, and Will captured her lips with his. He held her in his arms and considered what really mattered to him most was knowing that she loved him as much as he did her. He would deal with his Aunt Catherine later, for now, he just wanted to enjoy every moment with Elizabeth as their kiss deepened.

Elizabeth was so happy that she almost felt as if it were a dream. As much as she enjoyed their kiss, it was her that gently pulled away. She looked deeply into his eyes, "Will, are you sure about this? Are you sure that you want to be with me?" she asked him in all seriousness then added. "I mean it's not just my sister marrying Wickham. There's my mother too, and her behavior is probably not about to change. Can you really tolerate being around her on occasions?"

Darcy didn't care; he was determined that even if it meant he had to put up with a hundred women like his future mother-in-law, he would gladly do so for his beloved Elizabeth. "I have never been more sure of anything in my entire life," he told her as he got down on his knee. "In fact," he began as he pulled a small velvet box from his pocket and opened it for her to see. "My dearest Lizzy, will you allow me to place this ring on your finger and do what I should have done weeks ago, and ask you to be my wife?"

Elizabeth felt her heart racing, "Oh yes, most definitely yes!" she told him as he carefully placed the ring on her finger. It was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. The band was gold with a large diamond surrounded by several smaller stones. "Will, it's so beautiful, so perfect."

"It was my mother's ring; I hope you don't mind?" he told her.

"No, not at all. I love it, and I'm happy to wear it. It means so much that you would entrust it to me," Elizabeth told Darcy as she admired the ring.

He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently. "Shall we go and see your parents, I would like to formally ask your father for your hand. I know it's a bit old-fashioned, but it is important to me."

Elizabeth smiled, "Yes of course," she told him then stopped suddenly and gave him a rather sly look. "But I think I should tell my mother when you are not there."

Darcy laughed, "That's probably a very good idea," he agreed as he held her hand and the two walked together up toward the house.